Jasper County, Illinois
A shallow water table limits basements on 89% of Jasper County's mapped land, a higher share than 95% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 51%.
4.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Jasper County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 51.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 89.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 62.7% |
| Mapped soil | 319,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Cisne | 24% | n/a |
| Bluford | 12% | 100% |
| Hoyleton | 9% | n/a |
| Wynoose | 8% | n/a |
| Ava | 6% | n/a |
| Wakeland | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IL079 (2025-08-31)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.4% by land area here, and 63% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 51% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 4.6% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 51% of Jasper County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 89% of Jasper County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.89 in, 1.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.12 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
4.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 20 weeks, most recently on the March 3, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 4.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $32,000 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.12 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.89 in (-1.23) |
| 2025 | 45.15 in (+0.03) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 56.12 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1976: 27.16 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEWTON (2 mi away) | 12.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,226 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $125,500 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, IL | 19 mi | 39% | 84% |
| Richland County, IL | 21 mi | 44% | 93% |
| Crawford County, IL | 21 mi | 43% | 81% |
| Effingham County, IL | 24 mi | 43% | 87% |
| Clay County, IL | 25 mi | 44% | 91% |
| Clark County, IL | 30 mi | 29% | 77% |
| Lawrence County, IL | 30 mi | 23% | 78% |
| Coles County, IL | 35 mi | 19% | 85% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 31, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status